Pats gain some life . . . Rockets have Royals on ropes . . . Brown a hall of famer

D Michael Busto (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Kootenay, 2001-07) has signed a one-year extension with Angers (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, in 24 games, he had three goals and 11 assists. . . .
F Riley Emmerson (Tri-City, 2004-06) has signed a one-year contract as player/head coach with the Edinburgh Capitals (Scotland, UK Elite).This season, with Edinburgh, had had 14 goals and 18 assists in 50 games. That was strictly in a playing role; he was an alternate captain.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

In Regina, the Pats broke a 1-1 tie with two second-period goals and went on to beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . Brandon leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Regina tonight. . . . Game 5 is scheduled for Brandon on Friday. . . . The Wheat Kings had won their previous six games. . . . F Jared McAmmond’s first playoff goal gave the Pats a 1-0 lead at 4:45 of the first period. . . . That was Regina’s first lead of the series. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos, the first pick in the 2014 bantam draft, tied it with his first goal at 15:48. . . . D Carter Hansen put the Pats back into the lead with his first goal at 1:53 of the second. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle, who was acquired from the Pats from Brandon in January, got his second goal at 5:08 for a 3-1 lead. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville, with his second goal, cut into the lead on a PP at 18:32 of the second. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 39 shots, 11 more than Brandon’s Jordan Papirny. . . . Brandon was 1-for-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-for-1. . . . Among Brandon’s scratches were F Rihards Bukarts, F Jayce Hawryluk, F Morgan Klimchuk and D Colton Waltz. . . . D Chase Harrison (undisclosed injury) and D Sergey Zborovskiy (suspended) were among Regina’s scratches. . . . D Brady Pouteau, a fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft, made his playoff debut with the Pats. Poteau, who turned 17 on Jan. 9, is from Oak Bluff, Man. (Not Oak Lake. Not Oak River. Oak Bluff.) He played for the midget AAA Pembina Valley Hawks. . . . Attendance was 5,236.

In Victoria, special teams were a big deal as the Kelowna Rockets dumped the Royals, 4-2. . . . The Rockets lead the series, 3-0, having outscored the Royals 13-5. . . . The Rockets scored a shorthanded goal and two on the PP as they erased an early 1-0 deficit. . . . F Alex Forsberg got Victoria on the board with his third goal at 1:03 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Leon Draisaitl tied it with a shorthanded goal at 8:18. It was his first goal of this series and third of the playoffs. . . . F Nick Merkley gave Kelowna the lead with a PP score at 14:19. It was his second goal of the playoffs. . . . The Royals tied it when F Greg Chase got his sixth goal 54 seconds into the second period. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s last two goals, with F Gage Quinney getting his fourth goal at 9:02 of the second and D Madison Bowey scoring his fourth, on a PP, at 15:16. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-6 on the PP; Victoria was 0-for-6. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 28 shots as the Rockets ran their winning streak to seven games. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath turned aside 24 shots. . . . Rockets F Tyson Baillie had two assists. . . . Yesterday, in this space, I mentioned that Shaw TV was covering the Medicine Hat-Calgary series in its entirety. Yes, that was in error. Shaw actually is showing all games in the Kelowna-Victoria series, including Game 4. It will be played in Victoria tonight. . . . D Josh Morrissey was among Kelowna’s scratches, although he is in Victoria with his teammates. . . . Attendance was 5,517.
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F Cole Ully of the Kamloops Blazers has been reassigned to the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, Ully was selected by Dallas in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2013 draft and has signed an NHL deal. Ully has been in Texas for a while now, but the move was just made official, which frees him up to dress for the AHL team. This season, he had 94 points, including 34 goals, in 69 games.
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I was remiss in not mentioning earlier in the week that Bob Brown, the architect of those great Kamloops Blazers teams in the late-1980s and early-1990s, was inducted into the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday. (I, too, was surprised that he hadn’t been inducted a long time ago.) Brown was the general manager, head cook and chief bottle washer when the Blazers on the 1992, 1994 and 1995 Memorial Cup titles. . . . If Brown wasn’t the best GM in WHL history, he certainly is in the conversation. . . . These days, Brown is a scout with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
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F Connor McDavid totalled 14 points in the Erie Otters’ sweep of the London Knights in the OHL playoffs. Erie will play the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the next round.
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In the MJHL, the Portage Terriers completed a sweep of the Steinbach Pistons to sweep the championship final. The Terriers, the host team for the RBC Cup, went 12-0 in the playoffs. The Terriers had gone 53-3-4 in the regular season. . . . In the BCHL, F Dakota Conroy (Brandon, Victoria, Prince Albert, 2010-15) drew four assists to lead the Penticton Vees to an 8-5 victory over the host Nanaimo Clippers. The Clippers won twice in Penticton; the Vees won twice in Nanaimo. They’ll play Game 5 in Penticton on Thursday and Game 6 in Nanaimo on Friday.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and head coach Ross Yates announced Tuesday that they have chosen to part company. . . . Yates joined the Sea Dogs as an assistant coach in 2012 and was the head coach by October 2013. He also was co-general manager, with Christian Vermette. Prior to this season, Yates dropped the GM part of his duties as Darrell Young became director of hockey operations. The Sea Dogs finished this season 32-26-10, then lost a first-round series to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
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The OHL’s Niagara IceDogs announced Tuesday that GM/head coach Marty Williamson will be out of action for the immediate future. “Williams is currently suffering from heart issues, which he is working to address,” according to a news release from the team. . . . Assistant coaches Dave Bell and Billy Burke are handling the team in Williamson’s absence. . . . Later Tuesday, the IceDogs beat the visiting Oshawa Generals 7-3 in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Generals lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 in St. Catharines on Thursday.
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The SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers have decided not to renew the contract of general manager/head coach Rockie Zinger. This season, the Klippers went 37-12-7 to finish atop the Kramer Division. Only the Sherwood Division’s Melfort Mustangs, with 87 points, finished with more points than the Klippers (81). Kindersley was 6-4 in the playoffs, losing a semifinal series in six games to the Notre Dame Hounds. . . . Zinger moved up from assistant coach to head coach in Kindersley in December 2010 when he replaced Larry Wintoneak.

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The new rink for @tigershockey is taking shape on the west side of Medicine Hat. #viewfromthehighway pic.twitter.com/SEJY55WYqs
— Brad Curle (@BCurle_Hitmen) April 14, 2015

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Raiders suspend veteran forward . . . Warriors, Broncos: Rivalry heating up

The Prince Albert Raiders have suspended F Dakota Conroy, 20, after he left the team and returned to his home in Edmonton. . . . He has a goal and an assist in 10 games, but that goal came on Sept. 20. . . . In 214 regular-season games, Conroy has 137 points, including 63 goals. He also has played with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Victoria Royals. The Wheat Kings selected him in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Without Conroy, the Raiders are left with F Jayden Hart and D Sawyer Lange as their 1994-born players.
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There isn’t anything in sports like a good rivalry, and it would seem that Moose Jaw F Jaimen Yakubowski is doing his bit to fire up the rivalry between the Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos.
Yakubowski broke a 3-3 tie with 4.1 seconds left in the third period on Saturday night.
“He then staked his claim as public enemy No. 1 in Swift Current by skating to centre ice,” reported Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, “stopping on the Broncos' logo and hushing the 2,205 fans at the Credit Union i-plex before his teammates mobbed him.”
Swift Current F Carter Rigby, who was acquired last week from the Kelowna Rockets, played against Yakubowski when the latter was with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
"I played against him in the other conference, in the west, and he's one guy that I don't care for — at all," Rigby told Gourlie. "To see him score that (winning goal), get two tonight and then do that (celebration) doesn't sit well with me. There will be a time when we can get him back and I'm sure we will."
These two don’t play again until Jan. 16 in Swift Current.
Gourlie’s complete story is right here.
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A note from Jim Matheson’s Hockey World in the Edmonton Journal:
“The Detroit Red Wings were gob-smacked by the play of their tryout defenceman Joe Hicketts, who wasn’t drafted this past June, in part because he missed a chunk of playing time with the Victoria Royals courtesy a bad shoulder and also because he stands just five-foot-eight and 185 pounds. They quickly signed him, loving it that he’d mix it up with way bigger guys in the corners, after he was just a good in their main camp as he was in the prospects tournament at Traverse City. They think he might be another Brian Rafalski.”
The complete Hockey World is right here.
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Veteran coach Dave King is back in the KHL, having returned to Yaroslavl Lokomotiv to replace Sean Simpson, who was fired eight games into the season. King had been working with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes when the call came from the KHL team as September turned into October. The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson has more right here.
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SUNDAY'S REPORT:

D Travis Sanheim had two goals and an assist as the host Calgary Hitmen dumped the Regina Pats 5-1 in the day’s lone game. . . . Sanheim has six goals in 10 games this season. Last season, he finished with five goals in 67 games. . . . Sanheim also was hit in the face by an errant puck during the game, so will be spending some time with a dentist to get a tooth repaired. . . . The Hitmen broke open a scoreless game with three second-period goals. . . . Calgary’s first two goals came via the PP, which had been on an 0-14 skid. . . . Calgary F Pavel Karnaukhov, a 17-year-old freshman from Minsk, Belarus, scored his sixth goal. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk scored his second goal in as many games for the Pats. . . . The Hitmen next play Friday when they visit the Kootenay Ice. Calgary hopes to have F Jake Virtanen, who had off-season shoulder surgery, in the lineup for the first time this season.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have scored 18 goals in their last two games; the Lethbridge Hurricanes have scored 19 goals in 10 games this season. . . . The Medicine Hat Tigers are 9-1-1 and atop the Central Divison, thanks, at least in part, to their penalty killing. They have surrendered three goals on 40 opportunities and, at 92.5 per cent, are the only team in the league with a success rate above 90. As well, they have scored three shorthanded goals. . . . The Everett Silvertips, the only team in the league without a regulation-time loss, have only been shorthanded 26 times in nine games, but they’ve given up six PP goals. Their penalty killers are ranked 16th, at 76.9. . . . I was going to add a few more stats-related items here, but the WHL website crapped out on me. Imagine that!

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The @WHLGiants are getting creative with their board ads. Either that or the @blazerhockey are very under dressed. pic.twitter.com/VIDZBCbbxV
— Pucks on net (@Pucksonnetca) October 19, 2014

Winterhawks' streak reaches 11

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Andrej Kudrna (Vancouver, Red Deer, 2008-11) was released by Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). He had yet to play a game this season.
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As Alan Caldwell of Small Thoughts at Large tweeted on Friday, the Calgary Hitmen got back D Alex Roach, 20, from the NHL's Los Angeles. . . . Roach played three games with the ECHL's Ontario Reign, earning three assists. . . . The Kings signed him as an undrafted free agent. . . . Roach, from Quesnel, B.C., has 83 points, 23 of them goals, in 184 games with the Hitmen. . . . His return leaves the Hitmen with four 20-year-olds, one over the roster limit. They will have 14 days to move Roach, D Jesse Zgraggen, F Brady Brassart or D Jaynen Rissling.
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The OHL's Erie Otters ran their winning streak to a franchise-record 11 games on Saturday as they dumped the host Niagara Ice Dogs, 6-0. Kris Knoblauch, a former WHL player and coach, is the Otters' head coach. . . . The Otters are scheduled to meet the Knights in London this afternoon.
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You likely are aware that the legendary Bobby Orr has written a book in which he makes the case that fighting belongs in hockey, at least at the NHL level. If you missed it, The Globe and Mail carried an excerpt from that book right here. . .
Ken Dryden, the former goaltending great, disagrees. Dryden's piece from Saturday's Globe and Mail is right here.
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Mike Beamish of the Vancouver Sun, who normally spends his time covering the B.C. Lions, had a couple of good reads in Saturday's sports section, both of them involving Pavel Bure. The first one is right here, with the other right here. . . . The first of those involves a confession from Beamish, who admits to once asking Bure for his autograph. The second story is about how Igor Kuperman played a role in Bure ending up with the Vancouver Canucks, who retired his number (10) last night.
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SUDBURY SATURDAY NIGHT:
In Lethbrige, F Jessey Astles had two goals and two assists as the Tri-City Americans dropped the Hurricanes, 8-1. . . . The Hurricanes have played 17 games this season and won only two of them. They are  2-12-3 and already nine points out of a playoff spot. . . . Astles, who has a career-high four goals this season, went into the game with two assists in 16 games. He also was plus-4. . . . Going into this season, Astles had seven goals in 179 games. . . . F Devon McAndrews, who joined the Americans from the AJHL this week, had a goal, his first, and two assists. He also finished plus-4. He had two assists in 13 games with the AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 24 shots for the victory; his brother Ty, 16, scored his first WHL goal. . . . The Americans have points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . F Parker Bowles scored for a second straight game for the Americans. He had missed the season's first 18 games as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery. . . .

In Prince George, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game's last three goals and beat the Cougars, 4-1. . . . Kelowna F Carter Rigby picked up an assist in his first game this season after recovering from shoulder woes. . . . The Rockets had beaten the host Cougars 7-6 in a shootout on Friday night. . . . Kelowna (11-2-2) has won four straight and leads the B.C. Division by three points over the Victoria Royals (10-8-1), who have played three more games. . . . F Tyrell Goulbourne was scratched by the Rockets after suffering an undisclosed injury on Friday. . . .

In Victoria, the Royals scored the game's first three goals and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-1. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges, who played his first game of the season on Friday, drew two first-period assists. He had been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. . . . This was the first time in four opportunities that Victoria head coach Dave Lowry had earned the victory over Red Deer GM/head coach Brent Sutter. Lowry was an assistant under Sutter for three seasons with the NHL's Calgary Flames. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos scored six third-period goals and beat the Saskatoon Blades, 7-6. . . . Saskatoon actually took a 5-1 lead into the third period. . . . Swift Current F Graham Black tied it at 11:36 of the third period and F Connor Sanvido won it at 19:15. . . . Black finished with two goals and two assists, getting a goal and two helpers in the third period. . . . Saskatoon F Matt Revel scored a natural hat trick, getting three goals in 10:53, the first coming in the first period and last two in the second. . . . Swift Current had a 23-7 edge in third-period shots. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherbak, a Russian freshman, ran his point streak to 11 games with a first-period assist. . . . Tweet from Blades radio voice Les Lazaruk (@Bladesvoice): "I believe it was the late, great Jack Buck who said it, but I can't believe what I just saw. @bladeshockey L 7-6 in Swift. Led 5-1 after 40." . . . The Broncos have won four in a row; the Blades have lost four straight. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Dakota Conroy scored at 2:53 of OT to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . Raiders D MacKenzie Johnston had forced extra time with a goal at 16:47 of the third period. It was his first goal of the season. . . . Johnston, 20, who was acquired last month from the Kelowna Rockets, has nine goals in 246 career games. . . . The Raiders (11-6-1) lead the East Division and are one point behind the Eastern Conference-leading Medicine Hat Tigers (11-3-2). . . .

In Everett, G Daniel Cotton stopped 16 shots as the Silvertips blanked his old club, the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-0. . . . Cotton has three career shutouts, one this season. . . . All of his shutouts have been with Everett. He played 18 games with Seattle -- one in 2010-11 and 17 in 2011-12 -- before he ended up in Everett. . . . F Josh Winquist scored twice, giving him 13 on the season. . . . Everett held a 12-2 edge on shots in the first period and 11-5 in the second. . . . The Silvertips (11-3-2) are three points off the U.S. Division lead. . . . The Silvertips have added F Darcy DeRoose, 18, to their roster, although he didn't play in this one. A native of Weyburn, Sask., he had been with the SJHL's Estevan Bruins, for whom he had 12 points, eight of them goals, in 14 games. Earlier in his career, he played three games with the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl didn't play as he is awaiting word on a suspension after a checking-from-behind major in Friday's 6-3 loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Seattle was without F Roberts Lipsbergs (undisclosed injury) and D Evan Wardley, who is awaiting word on a suspension after he took out Portland F Adam De Champlain one night earlier during a 5-2 loss in Kent, Wash. . . .

In Kamloops, D Brett Kulak's shootout goal gave the Vancouver Giants a 4-3 victory over the Blazers. . . . The Giants have won four of five, with the victories all coming on the road. In the last week, they won twice in Kamloops and twice in Prince George. . . . Blazers F Nick Chyzowski, 16, scored his first two WHL goals, pulling his side into 2-2 and 3-3 ties in the third period. He is the son of former Blazers F Dave Chyzowski. . . . F Aspen Sterzer had three assists for Kamloops. . . .

In Spokane, the Portland Winterhawks ran their winning streak to 11 games with a 3-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The defending-champion Winterhawks have the WHL's best record, at 14-3-1. . . . Portland has won six in a row on the road. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored the game's first goal to run his point streak to 12 games. . . . Portland F Nic Petan drew an assist on that goal and is riding an 11-game point streak. . . . Petan finished with three assists. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg had his season-opening point streak stopped at 17 games. He put up a league-leading 42 points over that stretch. . . . The Winterhawks next play Wednesday against the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . The Chiefs (12-5-0) are three points in back of the Winterhawks.
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The NHL had one of its dimmer moments Saturday when it announced that Philadelphia Flyers G Ray Emery wouldn't be suspended for his Friday night assault on Washington Capitals G Braden Holtby. . . . Apparently, the NHL doesn't have a rule that covers an assault on an unwilling dance partner. . . . John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal gives the NHL a few jabs right here.
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From Hall of Fame hockey writer Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) of the Los Angeles Times: "NHL once suspended Sean Avery for conduct detrimental to the game but won't invoke clause to suspend Ray Emery for (Friday) night's craziness?"
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From columnist Gary Lawless (@garylawless) of the Winnipeg Free Press: "so if the #blackhawks score a couple more should we expect a line brawl featuring 1 of #nhljets beating up someone who doesn't want to fight."
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From TSN's Dave Hodge (@TSNDaveHodge): "There's nothing in the rule book that allows the NHL to suspend Ray Emery, which means there's nothing that covers stupid stuff."

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Don Nachbaur, the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, was behind a WHL bench for the 1,000th time on Saturday night as his side beat the visiting Tri-City Americans, 5-2.
As mentioned here yesterday, he is one of four men to have coached at least 1,000 games in the WHL.
The top 10, including last night’s games:
Ken Hodge, 1,114
Ernie McLean, 1,067
Lorne Molleken, 1,018
Don Nachbaur, 1,000
Peter Anholt, 973
Pat Ginnell, 963
Don Hay, 952
Dean Clark, 937
Jack Shupe, 887
Bob Lowes, 851
Of those in the top 10, Molleken, Nachbaur, Hay and Clark remain active.
Meanwhile, here’s the top 10 in WHL head-coaching regular-season victories, including last night’s games:
ADD IN SATURDAY GAMES
Ken Hodge, 742
Lorne Molleken, 570
Don Hay, 563
Ernie McLean, 548
Don Nachbaur, 534
Pat Ginnell, 518
Jack Shupe, 466
Dean Clark, 460
Bob Lowes, 453
Peter Anholt, 450
Remember that Molleken, Hay, Nachbaur and Clark are the active coaches on that list.
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It’s also worth noting that Mike Williamson, the head coach of the Calgary Hitmen, has gone over 350 victories, this despite two horrid seasons — with 19 and 17 victories — with the Portland Winterhawks. In fact, just this season Williamson has gotten his won-lost record over .500 — he’s at 352-347-73.
(A word here about coaching records. The decision to go to overtime and shootouts and not count them as losses has resulted in the bastardization of these coaching records because the WHL record book groups such losses in with ties. Williamson’s record, then, includes a total of 73 ties, overtime losses and shootout losses. As someone who values the historical significance of statistics this is simply appalling.)
Meanwhile, Ryan Huska, the head coach of the Kelowna Rockets, is at 200 victories thanks to a 9-2 victory over Molleken’s visiting Saskatoon Blades last night.
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Jeff McDill, who played in the WHL with the Flin Flon Bombers and Victoria Cougars (1973-76), died earlier this month in Swan River, Man., where he and his wife, Laureen, operated the Thunderhill Motel. In 1975-76, McDill put up 121 points, including 55 goals, in 72 games. He also had 197 penalty minutes. McDill was 56.
An obituary is right here.
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Nick Denis, an MMA fighter nicknamed The Ninja of Love, has retired. Too many blows to the head, he wrote on his blog.
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JUST NOTES: Former WHL G Barry Brust (Spokane, Calgary, 2000-03) set an AHL record for longest shutout streak on Saturday night. Brust, now with the Abbotsford Heat, had his streak at 251:41 after one period against the Rampage in San Antonio. That broke the record of 249:51 that had been held by the great Johnny Bower (Cleveland Barons, 1957-58). Brust ran the record to 268:17 before being scored upon by F James Wright (Vancouver, 2006-10). . . . Abbotsford went on to win the game 3-2, but not until a circus that went 11 rounds. F Carter Bancks, another former WHLer, was the 22nd shooter and he ended it. Two other former WHLers, Sven Baertschi and Roman Horak, also scored for the Heat in the shootout.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Dakota Conroy drew three assists to help the Raiders get past the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-2. . . . The Raiders had won 6-0 in Brandon on Friday night. . . . Prince Albert broke a 1-1 tie with goals six seconds apart by F Leon Draisaitl and F Logan McVeigh. Conroy drew assists on both goals. . . . The WHL record for fastest two goals is two seconds. Seriously! . . . The Raiders have won five of seven, including four of six on a six-game road trip. . . . Conroy began his career with the Wheat Kings, before being deawlt to the Victoria Royals, who moved him to Prince Albert earlier this season. . . . Brandon D Ryley Miller played despite taking a kneeing major late in Friday’s game. . . . Brandon scratched D Ryan Pulock, F Alessio Bertaggia, F Tyrel Seaman and F Jens Meilleur, all with undisclosed injuries. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored five times in the first period en route to a 9-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The victory was No. 200 for Rockets head coach Ryan Huska, who holds the franchise career record. . . . The Blades, who won 3-2 in Kamloops on Friday, went 3-2-0 on their B.C. Division swing. . . . Kelowna got the five first-period goals on 14 shots and sent G Andrey Makarov to the bench at 4-0. . . . F Myles Bell had two goals and an assist for the Rockets. He has had back-to-back three-point games. . . . Kelowna D Colten Martin had two assists and was plus-5. . . . Fourteen of Kelowna’s 18 skaters had at least one point. . . . Saskatoon D Darren Dietz, who was outstanding in Kamloops on Friday, was minus-6 in this one. . . .

In Edmonton, D Keegan Lowe scored with one second left in OT to give the Oil Kings a 2-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Lowe has four goals this season. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson scored in the second period for Edmonton. . . . Medicine Hat F Dylan Bredo tied it, on a PP, at 13:40 of the third. . . . Edmonton penalty killers had killed off 46 straight shorthanded situations prior to Bredo’s goal. . . . Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan, who began his WHL career with the Oil Kings, stopped 46 shots. . . . The Oil Kings have won three in a row. . . . The Tigers have lost seven in a row and continue to play without F Hunter Shinkaruk (skate cut). . . .

F Colin Smith scored two goals to help the Kamloops Blazers to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . Smith broke a scoreless tie with two second-period goals, giving him 19 on the season. . . . F Carter Popoff scored for Vancouver at 10:56 of the third period — the puck skittered off the left skate of Kamloops F Charles Inglis and over the goal line — but the Giants weren’t able to equalize. . . . It was the first meeting of the season between the B.C. Division rivals. . . . Kamloops F JC Lipon had two assists. He continues to lead the WHL in goals (21) and points (53). He has one more point than Smith, who holds the WHL lead in assists (33). . . . After the game, the Blazers trimmed F Brayden Gelsinger, 17, from their roster. He is expected to join the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans or an SJHL team. He was pointless in 12 games with the Blazers. . . . 

F Tyler Sandhu scored twice to help the host Everett Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Everett erased a 1-0 deficit when Sandhu scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season at 5:30 and 8:50 of the first period, the latter coming via the PP. . . . F Jon Martin tied it for the Ice at 9:21, only to have F Reid Petryk put Everett back in front just 15 seconds later. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist returned from a 13-game absence due to mononucleosis and set up two goals. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Brendan Leipsic continued to burn it up on behalf of the Portland Winterhawks as they beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 8-2. . . Leipsic ran his point streak to 13 games with two goals and two assists. He also has 11 straight multi-point games. He now has 15 goals. . . . F Ty Rattie had three assists for Portland, while F Oliver Bjorkstrand had two goals. . . . Rattie has points in 18 of his last 19 games. He has 37 points in that span. . . . F Nic Petan scored his 16th goal for Portland. . . . Petan is on an eight-game point streak, with four straight multi-point games. . . .

In Victoria, D Brett Cote broke a 2-2 tie at 17:04 of the third period as the Royals beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-2. . . . Cote’s goal was his third of the season. . . . F Ben Walker scored twice for Victoria, giving him 10. He was unsuccessful on a penalty shot just 4:04 into the game. . . . After the game, Walker said the second goal actually belonged to F Alex Gogolev. . . . Prince George D Raymond Grewal opened the scoring with his first of the season. . . . The Royals were missing F Tim Traber for a sixth straight game with an undisclosed injury. F Austin Carroll (personal) missed his second game. . . . F Tyler Soy, the eighth overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with Victoria. . . . The Cougars were without D Michael Mylchreest, who drew a ‘tbd’ suspension under supplemental discipline for something that happened in Friday’s game. . . . The Cougars lost F Zach Pochiro the previous night when he left in the second period with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Cougars had won  5-4 on Friday night. . . . The same two teams will play Friday and Saturday in Prince George to conclude a four-game series. . . .

F Connor Bleackley scored in the fourth round of the circus to give the Red Deer Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . F Justin Kirsch had given Moose Jaw a 1-0 lead with his 10th goal at 16:09 of the second. . . . Red Deer D Mathew Dumba tied it at 4:23 of the third on the PP. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 42 shots. . . .

The host Spokane Chiefs scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Tri-City Americans, 5-2. . . . Spokane’s Don Nachbaur was a winner in his 1,000th game as a WHL head coach. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg broke a 2-2 tie at 8:00 of the third period. . . . F Liam Stewart added two goals after that, the last one into an empty net. . . . There may have been a ch-ch-ching moment in this one as the on-line scoresheet shows five fighting majors — three to the Americans — at 19:17 of the third. . . . The Chiefs now head into the East Division with a six-game trip beginning Friday in Swift Current..
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Steven Hodges, Victoria (double minor)

CHECKING-T0-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Henrik Samuelsson, Edmonton
F Michal Holub, Seattle
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From Calgary Hitmen F Spencer Humphries (@shumper5): “Earned my first black eye of my career last night, even though my eye sight has taken a severe hit I don’t mind it at all! #punchingbag”
I don’t know if it had anything to do with the shiner, but he had scrap with F Jacob Doty of the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday night.

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